151. Imperial Palace (2)
Julia was dumbfounded.
Cain’s face moved away and he doubted his ears until the moment he returned to his place.
“Are you going to set me free?”
A voice that can’t hide its absurdity.
However, the person who made me feel those emotions was calm.
“Yes. I will set you free.”
“Do you know what he is talking about now?”
“I know it very well.”
In a more serious tone, Julia realized that Cain wasn’t fooling around.
what the hell is this man
What confidence did you say?
‘If it were that easy, I wouldn’t have been locked up in a prison like this for the rest of my life.’
I was sobbing with anger.
He bit his lower lip and said stingingly.
“It’s impossible.”
“Available. If you use magic.”
Julia felt frustrated at Cain’s determination.
“I don’t know how to use magic. But I definitely know. The fact that magic is not omnipotent. I don’t know how it was possible when I came in, but it’s different when I go out.”
Julia suddenly lowered her shoulders.
On the pure white skin, the pattern of the imperial family was engraved in the shape of the sun.
“Your Majesty knows where I am. Anywhere in the Imperial Palace. If you go outside a certain radius, an alarm is set to go off.”
“It’s a marker that can be tracked.”
“Right. His Majesty engraved it when I was very young. Not only me, but my brothers also have one mark.”
Cain recalled the emperor’s twisted possessiveness.
‘Clearly, he has no deep affection for his children. If you don’t show off enough to succeed to the throne, you won’t even pay attention.’
But children are also ‘properties.’
You should always be under your control.
“It is impossible to go through the front door. As soon as you pass by there, the alarm will go off. So you’re going to break down the wall and take me out? A wall like a fortress that blocks all mana around you? It would be more persuasive to make explosives like me.”
Cain’s hand put Julia’s clothes on and covered her shoulders again.
It was a felony to touch the body of the royal family, but neither of them cared.
“The exit direction is not a wall or a front door. And I’m not taking the princess with me. The princess will leave the palace alone.”
“I beg your pardon?”
The way to break through the main gate with the princess was not at all impossible.
‘But in that case the risk is too great.’
Because of that, what he could do was only at the level of ‘help’.
Even if you can make a profit by making a contract with the princess, it’s as bad as not signing a contract if the loss is big.
“I will give the princess the power to do that.”
A small flame flashed brightly from Cain’s fingertips that stretched out into the air.
Yulia, who had lost her mind for a moment, straightened her mind and said.
“Are you going to teach me magic?”
“you’re right. In the basement of the Imperial Palace, there is a ‘passage’ that leads out of the outer wall. Only those with royal blood can enter, and proper ‘skill’ is required to pass.”
Passage?
This man was still making an incomprehensible noise.
“A passage? How do you know that? Have you ever gone down to the basement of the Imperial Palace?”
“There are many ways to know the facts without first experiencing them.”
“If you’re like you, would you believe the words of someone who suddenly appeared out of nowhere?”
“I am not forcing you to believe. The choice is up to the princess.”
Julia pondered in confusion.
‘Based on the circumstances, it is right not to believe. objectively.’
But intuition was the opposite.
The man in front of me is not telling lies.
It was a ‘shoulder’ that was forged while surviving in the midst of numerous struggles, and it generally led him to the right situation.
‘I can’t completely trust it. But if what this man said is true.’
My heart started pounding.
At least, it would be a much more probable method than breaking through the front door or wall.
She said, keeping as calm as possible.
“I think what you said is true. But I have no talent for magic. All the wizards in the Imperial Palace have given up.”
If I could learn magic, I would have done it earlier.
It will be of great help not only in the process of leaving the Imperial Palace, but also in your life as a traveler outside.
“You think of me like other ordinary wizards.”
“Since you’ve come all the way here, you must be very talented. But having a high level of magic and teaching are two completely different things.”
She swallowed the back words.
I’ve built a circuit, but I’ve never successfully used magic before.
Then Cain moved and grabbed Julia’s wrist.
“Now what… .”
Surprised, she tried to shake her hand, but it was stopped by the mana coming through the circuit.
“After all, you have the basic circuit. Although the specific gravity of the fire element is high, it is a circuit that basically contains several kinds of elements equally. There is a lot of potential for development.”
“… … .”
“Follow the guidance of my mana and slowly draw up the elements. It doesn’t matter if you fail. It is important to operate the elements without fear.”
Cain then told her the types and proportions of the elements she had to use, and the strength and timing to raise them.
It’s like teaching a baby to take the first steps.
Very detailed and gentle.
“There is no way I can do it.”
“Trust me and try.”
Cain knew.
That her failure was due to the burden of her distrust in herself and the expectations of those around her.
‘Rather, magical talent is not bad. In the eyes of the emperor, the pressure to do as much as the other brothers must have been acting as a shackle.’
There had never been a teacher who understood and cared for her sensitive feelings until now.
If she received proper instruction, her talent could blossom.
“Try it. It’s okay to fail. It’s okay to lose control of the element in the middle.”
“… … .”
Julia made eye contact with Cain.
More calm eyes.
It was a feeling of calm even when I looked at it.
Julia soon finished her decision and concentrated her mind to move the element.
Woo-
“There is no need to rush. Even if it takes a long time, it is important to operate the elements accurately.”
Cain corrected Julia’s mistakes in the middle and offered words of encouragement.
Soon, a small flame appeared on Julia’s palm.
“I made this… ?”
Cain loosened his wrists and took a step back, giving her time to fully enjoy a sense of accomplishment.
I was looking at you with hazy eyes.
The flames went out because of a momentary disturbance of concentration.
“uh?”
He waved his arms in the air to raise the element, but the flame did not rise again.
She reached out to Cain again.
“Again, help me again.”
Cain grabbed her wrist and repeated the same process as before.
Hwareuk.
The flames blazed again.
“You have to remember the way the elements pass. The types and proportions of the elements used are also important.”
“I don’t know what to say. I’m sure I’ve never succeeded in using magic before.”
Julia’s voice had changed almost as if she was about to cry.
“I think this is enough to prove my abilities.”
Julia nodded her head.
The other person’s words about the imperial palace were also a moment in time when their credibility increased.
“It would be nice to see you here at this time every week. In return for teaching me magic, the princess can help me explore the other parts of the Imperial Palace.”
“Once a week?”
“Yes. In line with the maintenance date of the mana tank.”
“No way!”
Julia screamed without realizing it.
It’s not enough to take classes 24 hours from now, but once a week?
The exact identity or purpose of the opponent.
That didn’t matter any more.
The important thing was that the other person could teach him the magic he had been longing for all his life, and furthermore, he might be able to make his dream of escaping from the imperial palace come true.
“I have a better idea.”
“Say it.”
“Tell your Majesty, I will hire you as a teacher.”
“I have heard rumors about the Imperial Palace greetings, but everyone knows that His Majesty chooses them himself. Those who have had their eyes stamped at least a few times and have gone through verification.”
It wasn’t wrong.
He got excited for a moment and talked about it, but the chances of this man being hired as a teacher were close to zero, even from his own eyes.
After thinking for a while, Julia said.
“There is a ball at the imperial court in two weeks. It is a place where young talents in His Majesty’s eyes gather and socialize.”
ball.
Cain’s eyes widened at the new information.
“The invited people have to bring their partners one by one. It’s kind of like a recommendation.”
“Do you know the attendance list?”
“I saw the list when I stopped by the secretary’s office before.”
Yulia is naturally smart, and she was confident in remembering things.
After she called out all the names on the list, Cain said.
“I expected it, but the names of people I know are not on the list.”
The name of Zervia that I had been waiting for was not there either.
Recently, he has been making great achievements, but it was said that that was not enough.
‘Hey, it’s just that we’ve cleared up the crime that happened outside the wall.’
Cain quickly counted the number of situations and cases.
‘It is more efficient to give Zervia a certain achievement than to make friends with a person on the list. You can also aim for side effects.’
He was aware of the emperor’s character.
Outside the wall is completely out of interest.
But if you clear the ‘big’ crimes inside the walls that are the rulers.
‘You can definitely stand out from the Emperor’s eyes. Zervia’s awareness has already accumulated to a certain line, so it will be possible to be invited without any problem.’
Cain looked at the plastic bag of Boomcane and thought about where it came from.
Seeing Cain meditating, Julia said, restless.
“Then I will tell your Majesty, even if I am overworked. If you ask repeatedly, somehow—.”
“no. Rather, it will make you suspicious. If there are no variables, you will be able to attend the ball without any problems, so don’t worry.”
“Did you come up with a good idea?”
“Yes. I can’t tell you right now.”
Cain glanced at his watch.
Slowly, it was time to go back.
“Then let’s end our meeting here today and see you at the ball. I think the teacher’s story should be given to His Majesty and shared later.”
Julia said in surprise.
“Next week? The ball is in two weeks, so you can see next week at this time.”
“I think I’m going to be a little busy to implement the plan that came to my mind.”
“No, though—.”
Cain, without a word, grabbed Julia’s wrist again.
Although Yulia was perplexed, she felt the mana rushing into the circuit and quickly returned as a student and raised the element.
Hwareuk.
Cain placed a plastic bag with Boomcane on top of the flame.
“As I said, there is no need to rush. It is a fact that the princess leaves the palace.”
tap.
The plastic bag and medicine burned, and hallucinogenic substances spread through the air.
“I think life in the palace must have been very boring. It must have been a life stuffed like a decoration.”
It was harmless to the human body because of the small amount.
The degree to which the mind wanders for a moment.
However, for Julia, who is experiencing drugs for the first time, the stimulation was too strong.
“Wait. this… .”
He tried to resist the medicinal energy, but his mind kept getting hazy, and he stumbled and fell into Cain’s arms.
Cain’s voice kept coming from overhead.
“I promise. I hope that I will present a greater stimulus to the life of the princess than such crude drugs.”
The voice began to ring like an echo, and it sounded like a devil’s whisper.
“So just wait. Don’t be in a hurry. Until I say the time is right.”
She nodded slowly.
With a somewhat tired, unfocused gaze, over and over again.
* * *
a few days later in the afternoon.
squeaky.
A black car stopped in front of the sidewalk.
The window went down and the face of a knight in sunglasses appeared. He asked a passerby on the sidewalk.
“Are you right, Ben?”
“you’re right.”
The lock on the back door was released with a ‘click’ sound.
A passerby got on board and the vehicle started moving smoothly with the wheels.
The direction was Area 17.